Superfluid 4He provides a
unique medium for carrying out chemistry at very low temperatures (T < 2.1 K). It has unusual
properties (liquid down to 0 K, vanishing viscosity, and super-thermal
conductivity), which make it an ideal medium for: carrying out high-resolution
molecular spectroscopy, studying coupled chromophore – bath
dynamics, synthesis of unusual chemical species, and studying
intercalation properties and dynamics of nanomaterials. Results from
this research can be used, for example, in synthesizing highly
energetic nitrogen compounds (up to 10 kJ/g) or in devloping new
nanomaterials. Overall, this research consists primarily of basic
research with possible applications toward development of new
high-energy fuels and nanomaterial research.